Fruit of the Spirit; Kindness – Part 6

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Kindness is love manifested to others. God shares that continually with us and expects us to show it toward each other. “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.” (Hosea 11:4) Throughout the Old Testament, God showed kindness to His people. Jacob saw the blessings God had showered upon him and in prayer said “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. “ (Gen 32:10) Jesus showed kindness to those who believed He could heal them, but might not even have known Him as the Messiah – think of the 10 lepers, the 5,000 He fed on the hills, Zacchaeus. Every day of His life Jesus exhibited kindness. His kindness was one of His expressions of love. As Paul wrote to Titus (3:4-5a) “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” If we are to be followers of Christ, we need to do the same. So, go ahead and let that sweet, little old lady get in front of you in the line at the grocery store, donate to charities that make a difference in people’s lives and share heartache with those who have experienced loss because those are things Jesus would have done. As you look at each day of your life, determine how you exhibit kindness, share it not only with those you know and love, but also with those loved by God and possibly ignored by others…and thus be an imitator of Christ.

Prayer
Jesus, please let me develop a heart of kindness to others just as You did. Amen